Family Magic (23 page)

I’m sure Mom’s ulterior motive was a chance
to check in with everyone personally, but she made it a game. We
laughed a lot between the three of us over the tacky choices she
made.

By the time we were back at the house, we
managed to load up on a large amount of stuff. It took the rest of
the afternoon to decide what to dress us in. Erica even took part
in the fun, although from the serious exchanges she had with Mom, I
know she was there more to support my mother than to help us get
ready for Halloween.

The only sad part of the day was a
heartbreaker. Meira found a feather boa and wrapped it around
herself. The soft red feathers were perfect against her crimson
skin. She giggled as they tickled her nose.

“Sass will
love
this,” she laughed.
“I’m going to go show him.”

The tears were heavy and immediate as Mom sat
her down and explained Sassafras was gone.

It sort of took the fun out of the whole
thing, but it was too late to stop and Mom insisted I still go to
the party.

And so at 6:30 exactly, I stood at the end of
the curved driveway leading to Suzanne’s house, dressed in best
coven fashion as a very over-the-top witch.

Second choice had, of course, been a demon,
but Meira had dibs on that one.

I made it up the fresh asphalt behind a
couple of other kids dressed like the king and queen of hearts. I
recognized them from the halls at school. They checked me out, but
didn’t say hello, so I tried to ignore them. I admired the huge
house with its perfect manicured lawn and weedless flowerbeds. We
never lived in a beautiful new house. For some reason, probably
something to do with power, Mom always chose a home older than
dirt. I loved the bright yellow door and tried to imagine it on my
house as I trailed along behind the pair of playing cards. I shook
my head at the image. Something so cheerful on a house of magic?
Not in my mother’s lifetime. And, despite the huge Hayle fortune
keeping the coven safe, we never showed off our wealth. Suzanne’s
parents obviously didn’t have a problem flaunting what they had
with such a massive place.

I walked into the huge, bright entry hung
with fake spider webs and wispy ghost shapes. The whole thing was
ridiculous in the polished, sunny room, somehow fake and cheap,
oddly enough, like someone tried too hard to be scary and cool at
the same time.

No surprises there, I guess.

I was met with music and a mass of people
dressed up in their best and worst. A group of cheerleaders—how
original—gathered in the center of the room around the punch bowl
and food trays. I saw Page detach from the crowd and come over to
me, smiling brightly. Thick white paint covered her face. There was
an artful bullet hole in her forehead. Blood spilled over her
jersey and I noticed as I glanced at the rest of the squad they had
various wounds splashed in red all over them.

“We’re dead cheerleaders,” Page giggled.
“Isn’t that cool?”

I tried to smile.

“Yeah, Page. Wow, cool.”

“It was Suzanne’s idea,” she giggled again.
“She is
so
amazing, not like Alison.”

“I guess,” I answered. “Big party.”

She grabbed my arm and started pulling me
toward the table. “Yeah, isn’t it awesome? And the best part is,
Suzanne’s parents aren’t even home. Wicked, huh?”

“Yeah, wicked,” I said. I seemed to be able
to do little more than repeat her last word or two. The party was
my first and with everything that happened to me in the past week,
it was overwhelming. I dodged and wove in between people over the
shiny marble floor while Page simply seemed to glide along without
trouble.

We arrived at the buffet. I winced at the
bright orange and black tablecloth, the cookies shaped like
eyeballs and witch's fingers. Why was Halloween so hideously
embarrassing? When I finally tore my eyes away from the culinary
horror spread out on the table, I noticed I was surrounded by
zombie cheerleaders. For some, it was actually an improvement.
Suzanne smiled at me, but it never reached her eyes and I knew I
was only there because Page invited me.

“Nice costume, Syd,” Suzanne looked me up and
down. I was a witch, of course. What else could I be? The zombies
giggled.

“You too,” I answered, resisting the urge to
adjust my huge, floppy hat with dangling spider. Classy in
comparison, really. “Very original.”

Why she thought it was a compliment I have no
idea but for once my smart mouth didn’t get me in trouble. The
exact opposite, in fact. Suzanne preened.

“Cool, right?” She twirled around, showing
off the knife in her back leaving a trail of blood on her jersey
and short skirt.

“Yeah,” I said. “Cool.”

“Punch?” She offered me a glass. I smelled
alcohol.

“No thanks,” I said. There was no way my
first experience with liquor would be with this crowd.

“Suit yourself,” she sniffed. “Girls?”
Suzanne gathered up her posse and moved off. Page joined them,
giving me an apologetic look before leaving.

I stood next to the table of terror, feeling
lost and more than a little uncomfortable. Not only was I decked
out in finest Miriam Hayle fashion with my sparkly tights and
patent leather shoes, but no one would meet my eyes for very long
and despite my occasional stabs at striking up a conversation, my
awkward attempts to fit in made it painful.

At least I wasn’t the only one who looked
like their mother dressed them.

Only a half hour in, I convinced myself I was
leaving when I heard my name. I turned around and Brad stood there,
tipping his black cowboy hat at me and grinning.

“Well, howdy, Miss Syd,” he drawled. “Fancy
meeting you here.”

I laughed and admired his cowboy costume from
tight black jeans to black leather vest. He even had on one of
those silly string ties and a set of fake six-shooters on his slim
hips.

Yippee ki-yay.

“Yeah,” I said. “Fancy. Nice boots, Tex.”

He showed them off. “My whole family bought a
pair last year on a trip,” he said. “Never thought I’d get a chance
to wear them.”

“You look great,” I said.

“You too,” he winked. “Nice witch. Very
classy.”

My sparkly, spandex, overly layered and
frou-frou costume felt instantly humiliating.

“Thanks,” I rolled my eyes, giving in and
adjusting my hat out of my face. “Could this be more hideous?”

Brad was about to reply when Suzanne’s voice
cut through the noise in the room.

“Quiet, everyone!” she said. “Quiet! She’s
coming!”

The place fell silent, filled with an air of
expectation. Brad shrugged his shoulders, as confused as I was.

The door swung open and Alison walked in.

The pounding of my heart had to be audible in
the total silence. I knew, just knew, something really horrible was
about to happen. I didn’t want to witness it, no way.

I wasn’t about to be given a choice.

Suzanne swept toward Alison, her face a mask
of evil revenge about to be delivered. I left Brad and made my way
toward them, wracking my brain for a way to stop the inevitable
horror the cheer squad had planned, to rescue my new friend from
the punishment she was about to receive.

I was way too late.

“Alison,” Suzanne said loudly, so everyone
would hear.

“Suzanne,” Alison’s voice was soft but clear.
She saw me heading her way and flashed me a secret, sad little
smile. I stopped moving. She
knew
. She had known before she
even got to the front door. And she was there anyway, to take
it.

My respect for her notched up, big time.

Suzanne starting circling, her zombie girls
following suit. It made Alison, dressed in her school colors, look
like the sole survivor of a tragic cheerleader accident.

“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” Suzanne hissed.
“Thought you’d been too chicken to take your medicine.”

Alison’s head went up, shoulders back. “You
invited me, Suzanne,” she said. “So I came.”

“You didn’t really think you were welcome to
the
party
,” Suzanne faked shock. “Did you?”

“You told me to come,” Alison said.

“To bring back your uniform,” Suzanne
corrected, in her face so closely I’m sure Alison was having
trouble focusing on the other girl’s eyes.

“I brought it,” Alison said.

“You weren’t supposed to be wearing it,”
Suzanne flicked her hand across Alison’s sleeve. “You were supposed
to return it so we could burn it.”

The cheerleaders snickered while the rest of
the party guests made a quiet and rapid retreat as far away from
the action as possible without drawing attention. They needn’t have
worried. No one looked at anyone but the newest fallen angel.

“I guess I misunderstood,” Alison said. No
one believed her.

“You can’t leave with that uniform,” Suzanne
snarled from between clenched teeth. “I won’t allow it.”

Alison frowned for the first time. “What are
you going to do, Suzanne?” She half-laughed. “Take it off of
me?”

I knew then, even if Alison didn’t, she made
a terrible mistake giving Suzanne that kind of idea.

“As a matter of fact…” Suzanne’s voice
trailed off as she backed up, a satisfied smirk on her face. She
snapped her fingers at one of her girls. The cheerleader stepped
forward.

Suzanne examined Alison from top to
bottom.

“I think your uniform is missing
something.”

As if on cue, the other girl threw a glass of
red punch at Alison. It soaked through her sweater, dripping down
the front of her short skirt, fat crystal drops gathering at the
hem to fall in almost slow motion to the growing puddle on the
floor at her feet.

I fought off my demon and made a move, but a
strong hand held me back. Brad shook his head.

Suzanne went on, oblivious to me.

“It just doesn’t suit you anymore,
Alison.”

Another girl stepped up, taking her place
next to the first.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Alison seemed to
recognize she created a very dangerous monster in Suzanne. Her eyes
flickered to me. I pulled against Brad. He refused to let me
go.

The two girls stepped forward. Each grabbed a
handful of Alison’s skirt.

“You’re not one of us anymore,” Suzanne
said.

The cheerleaders pulled. The whole room
gasped. I saw Alison struggle, try to get away. The crowd screamed,
some chanting to get her, some horrified at what they witnessed. It
took me a moment to accept I was one of them.

Alison’s struggles only made things worse.
With great, heavy rending sounds, the material of her skirt tore
and gave way, the violence of the assault jerking her almost off of
her feet as she was hauled at from every direction. I could see the
tears on her face and hear her broken sobs but didn’t have the
power in that horrible instant to free myself from Brad and help
her.

I will always regret it.

Her skirt fell away. She staggered to her
knees. I lost sight of her as the cheerleaders surrounded her
crumpled form and finished the job, the sound of her sweater
ripping apart more appalling than flesh being torn from the
bone.

Finally, it was done. The panting pack of
vengeance backed away, clutching bits and pieces of the destroyed
uniform in their hands. To my horror, I noticed one of them was
Page, her beautiful face masked with hideous satisfaction. Alison
huddled on the cold tile floor, face streaked in tears, skin red
and bruising where the mob pulled on her clothes. She pulled
herself to her feet and was left standing there, with only a tiny
tank top and a pair of boy shorts covering her.

She straightened, brushing tears from her
cheeks, her sobs silenced, and did the most amazing thing I have
ever seen anyone do
ever
.

Alison straightened her shoulders and stared
Suzanne down.

I pushed forward, freeing myself from Brad,
furious every other person in the crowd did nothing to help her,
but angrier with myself I let Brad stop me in the first place.

I reached the circle of humiliation in time
to offer Alison my huge, sparkly witch shawl. She took it with a
gracious smile, back straight, brave face on. Her torn uniform lay
scattered around her, parts of it still in the hands of some of the
girls who were truly evil standing there in a vicious pack.

I spun on Suzanne, furious. “What the hell is
wrong with you people?” Suzanne backed up a step but her nasty
expression didn’t change.

“Stay out of this, Syd,” she snarled.

“Or what?” I closed the distance between us.
“You’ll do this to me?”

She glared at me. “Maybe,” she hissed.

“Try it,” I growled back. “I won’t stand here
and take it.”

I turned back to Alison who watched me with a
softly hopeful, brittle expression making my heart break. She
wrapped the shawl more tightly around herself, gathering it and
what was left of her dignity around her. I pushed my way through
the crowd, leading her to the door. I jerked it open. She walked
though, a thankful expression on her face. She disappeared outside
as I turned back. My eyes fell on Brad and I knew he was as hurt as
I was about it but just too weak to act.

Fine. I could handle it on my own, thank you
very much.

“You people make me sick,” I snapped.

My lessons forgotten in my anger, my shields
failed and my demon took me literally.

As I slammed the door behind me, I heard the
horrific sound of almost a hundred kids being overwhelmed with a
violent case of food poisoning.

***

I paused on the front step, horrified at what
I did but at the same time unwilling to reverse it. I may not have
planned it, but it seemed a fitting punishment for such disgusting
people.

Knowing I myself would be punished by the
coven, I slumped my way down the driveway to the street, dragging
my feet as I headed home.